Swine flu: what you should know about the vaccine and protection

Swine flu is being billed as a potential killer this winter, but health officials still tell us the best public defense is washing our hands. Everyone should get H1N1 flu shots, the feds say, yet media reports warn there may not be enough vaccine. Some suggest the seasonal flu shot actually increases the chances of getting swine flu, while others say it reduces the chances. Confused? Scared? If so, you're not alone.

With this in mind, DailyFinance looked into some of the concerns and realities surrounding the virus and how best we can protect ourselves. Here's what we found out:

Concern: There won't be enough H1N1 vaccine for everyone in time for flu season.

Reality: Of the 250 million doses of vaccine in both spray and injectable forms ordered, 600,000 doses of nasal FluMist were being shipped this past week. We have a ways to go. Many states and hospitals say they are getting far fewer vaccines in the first batch shipped than originally anticipated.

Visits to doctors for influenza, hospitalization rates for influenza and the proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza are higher than normal -- and increasing, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It seems then that while all the ordered vaccines may eventually arrive, they've already missed the beginning of the season.

people who live with or provide care for infants younger than 6 months (e.g., parents, siblings, and day care providers),

health care and emergency medical services personnel,

people 6 months through 24 years of age, and,

people 25 years through 64 years of age who have certain medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza-related complications.

Then there are certain people who should not get the vaccine, including those with allergies to eggs or to any other substance in the vaccine. Details can be found here for the nasal spray and here for the flu shot.

Concern: It's not clear whether it's better to get the vaccine in the form of a shot or nasal spray.

Reality: A recent study recently found that standard shots were twice as effective against regular seasonal flu as the newer nasal spray. It's important here to emphasize that the study was about regular seasonal flu vaccine, not the H1N1 vaccine.

Experts say both kinds might be equally effective against the swine flu in children and adults.

Concern: There's little clarity on whether to get one or two doses.

Reality: To date, most studies (the most recent one from Sanofi Aventis (SNY)) suggest that a single dose would be enough for most of the population, although the exception is young children through 9 years of age, who should get two doses of vaccine, about a month apart. Older children and adults need only one dose, the CDC vaccine information statement says.

Concern: Getting the vaccine creates other problems.

Reality: There has also been some misleading information from some anti-vaccine groups as well as fears tracing back to the vaccine fiasco in 1976 when a swine flu vaccine caused the Guillain-Barré syndrome. But the CDC and HHS assure the public, especially parents who are asked to immunize their kids as they are in the higher risk group (19 flu-related pediatric deaths were reported this week alone), that the vaccine has been tested and is as safe as seasonal flu vaccine.

Concern: Hand washing can't be the best prevention method we have besides the vaccine.

Reality: It's been hammered into us ever since swine flu gained pandemic status that washing hands is the best way to prevent infection. But CNN aired reports expressing doubts about hand washing as a preventative measure. "Washing hands really is wonderful for preventing many diseases, such as the common cold, but it's not very helpful to prevent influenza," Arthur Reingold, professor of epidemiology at the University of California-Berkeley, told the network.

A spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told CNN that, indeed, there isn't strong evidence that hand washing fights H1N1. It seems a simple sneeze takes all that hand washing out the window. That said, don't stop washing your hands as it is still the best and simplest available option we have (barring avoiding any public places).